Christ, the Mediator

Have you ever noticed how relationships with others suffer when our relationship with God is out of whack? This happens to me quite often. When I'm not talking to God because of a certain sin or pride, it surfaces in other relationships. They lack depth and sincerity during these times. Sure, I can hide it on the surface, but the richness and fullness are absent. It's a lousy feeling. I may not know the direct cause, but I know something's up. Lewis Sperry Chafer calls this "quenching the Spirit." Repentance is the only cure.

God requires repentance for the Spirit to resume it's communion with us. He requires it for our sake, not His. Repentance not only gets our heart back in line with Him, but with others as well. It clears our conscience as we're not trying to hide anything from God anymore. It frees us and allows us to be in the moment with others.

So where does Christ fit into this? Right in the middle. Repentance opens the pathway for the Mediator, Christ, to bridge the gap in our relationships. Christ holds everything together (Col 1:17). Everything must pass through Him, including relationships. In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer further explains the concept of Christ as Mediator in our relationships.

"There is no way from one person to another. However loving and sympathetic we try to be, however sound our psychology, however frank and open our behavior, we cannot penetrate the incognito of the other man, for there are no direct relationships, not even between soul and soul. Christ stands between us, and we can only get into touch with our neighbors through Him."

GrantJ

Always too Soon to Quit

Ahh, finally, a chance to catch my breath! I just finished my Spring semester at DTS. With three classes and working full-time, this was my toughest semester so far. I'm relaxing this weekend before my summer class begins tomorrow :)

I'm happy for friends who graduated yesterday. It gives me hope :). It's hard not to get discouraged though knowing I have a long way to go. Yes, many times I have wanted to give up. It seems like an insurmountable mountain of classes left to go. Thankfully though, in one of my recent bouts of discouragement, the Spirit reminded me of the importance in continuing. I am reminded of the fact that people, who I have yet to encounter, will some day desperately need to hear something I've learned in seminary. Of course this applies to all walks of life, not just seminary. Down the road someone will be depending on what we learn today. Will we be prepared? Just think of the ripple effect if we learn (and then teach) in error. This serves as my motivation. Plus, the words of Dr. Constable from a recent chapel message are still ringing in my ears, "It's always too soon to quit."

So (deep breath) here's to summer school!

GrantJ